Wednesday, September 17, 2014

NYC Radio: Joan Hamburg Joins WABC For Weekend Show

Joan Hamburg
Cumulus has announced that Hall of Fame Broadcaster Joan Hamburg joins WABC 770 AM to host “The Joan Hamburg Show” beginning Saturday September 20, 2014.

The new show will air on Saturdays from 1p-3p.

Hamburg is a familiar and award-winning voice in New York radio, best known for her years spent as host of “The Joan Hamburg Show”. At 77 WABC, Hamburg will continue discussing the most important social, economic and political issues that impact listeners’ lives each week. Hamburg will also interview major celebrities and powerful political figures on the program. Hamburg will also produce weekly features and exclusive programs available in digital formats. In addition, shows pre-empted by play by play will be presented on the 77 WABC stream and within other 77 WABC digital products, a first for the Joan Hamburg Show.

“How excited I am to join legendary WABC radio and work with Kim Bryant, Craig Schwalb and the rest of the Cumulus family. And what a treat to join their roster of the best talk talent in the country. New York get ready -- the conversation is about to begin,” Hamburg said.

“Adding Joan to our roster of talent is a no brainer. New York expects to hear big personalities on 77 WABC and they don’t get much bigger than Joan Hamburg,” said Craig Schwalb, Program Director at 77 WABC.

Known as New York’s “First Lady of Radio,” Hamburg was inducted into the New York State Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame in 2012 and has been named “New Yorker of the Year” by the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce due to her dedication in improving the quality of lives for those throughout the New York metropolitan area. In addition to numerous other awards, Hamburg is an accomplished author and columnist.

2 comments:

  1. Joan Hamburg is of course and hasn't been for most of all of her career the first lady of AM radio. My contacts with Ms Hamburg have been occasional and somewhat peripheral. I first met her at WOR when I was there to arrange for some PSA's to air on the Gambling show. We met again at of all places the Lincoln Center parking garage; she was there with her family after performing in, I believe, a program devoted to accomplished women. And our final (at least, final for the moment), contact was when she graciously devoted some radio time to my audiobook series (AudioDrama 101), when she commented that as a rule, she didn't care for audiobooks, but she did enjoy our stuff. Can you ask for a better endorsement than that?

    I was working as a studio publicist (Columbia) when screen actress Rita Hayworth made one of her comebacks. One of her co-stars was Frank Sinatra. He could have had above-the-title star billing, but he said no, Hayworth was indeed Columbia Pictures.

    The same could be said about Joan Hamburg. She was indeed WOR. That she was unceremoniously dumped, which--well, let's not mince words, that's how it was, and that's why I stopped airing my radio stuff on the station--left me feeling unhappily that at WOR the inmates had taken over the asylum. But then, I I often felt in the earlier days that the inmates really were in charge from the very beginning.

    However, no real complaints on my part. My stuff aired (but not gratuitously!) and we found our audience. Although apart from the revenue, I don't believe my stuff was valued by anyone at WOR. Well, not surprising, considering the mentalities involved, and the value of what was offered to, but not appreciated, by them.

    However, I've had my place in the sun, and Ms Hamburg has and continues to have hers. As for WOR, and for that matter, WABC, I have to wonder.

    Gary Gabriel
    The Lend-a-Hand Society

    ReplyDelete